Hillerod

I’m sitting in the Babylon Café Restaurant in Hillerod, Denmark where they have a Turkish-Greek buffet. I am not eating, but instead came in for a drink to get out of the rain while I wait for Alice (my couch surfing host) to come pick me up. We are scheduled to meet at 3pm and it is only 2pm now. I must say that it is quite the experience. The waiter is Mediterranean but speaks Danish and English. There are two Chinese couples at the table to my left who are speaking Danish, English, and occasional Chinese. Then there is a typical Danish family to my right and an older Danish couple behind me. I feel so international.

The café is situated across the street from Frederiksborg Slot (the main castle in town). I toured it this morning when I arrived on the S-Tog and walked a very inefficient but beautiful route to the castle. I didn’t have a map so I just guessed and somehow found my way. I arrived just after 10, when they opened and was able to put my backpack and daypack in a locker to tour the museum area. After being in the opulent palace’s in Italy, the Danish splendor doesn’t quite extract “oohs and aahs” from me, but it was quite grand to see. There were some beautiful paintings and interesting artifacts on display. As I finished my tour the church that is built into the castle let out, so I was able to go through the museum once again to view the church.

The tour of the church was through the balcony as they do not allow tourists in amongst the pews and such, but the balcony overlooks it all. It was quite beautiful and fun to see. I really enjoy viewing the different churches and seeing the variations. What is interesting to me is that all of these churches were built as protestant churches originally. I hadn’t really thought about it before but in my knowledge of European history I have always associated churches as being catholic cathedrals and then being turned into protestant churches. I guess that is incorrect. I wonder what other of my pre-conceived ideas will be changed on this trip.

I am currently reading through 1 Corinthians and have decided that whenever I visit a church while on this trip, I will read the section I am currently in. While I was in the church today I read 1 Corinthians 5 and sat and reflected. This is the third church I’ve been able to do this in and it’s been fun to be in a place of worship that is so old contemplating the scriptures. Before I left Copenhagen I looked up an English church service in Hillerod and wrote down the address so that I could find it once I got here. When I finished my exploration of the castle and church I got my pack together and ventured off to find the church. Well, I found the road where it should have been, but there was no church there. Sad. L So, really I went on a nice tour of town but did get to see a Volvo dealership, which was fun – It was Volvo heaven as there was a massive parking lot full of the cars that I love. I’m going to try and download the sermon from Bethany tomorrow after it’s put online.

Now that I am here in Hillerod, I probably could have made this portion of my trip just a day venture from Copenhagen, but I think it’ll be fun to explore a less touristy area. Alice has also offered to drive me around the countryside a bit so that I can see a bit more of the area and perhaps a few more castles. Tomorrow I will explore some more and either stay one more night with her or try to find a hostel in town. Tuesday I will take the train to Aarhus where I will meet up with another couchsurfing host, Mette. The plan was to spend two nights there with her, but she informed me that on the night I had planned to leave there is a festival going on that sounds quite fun. If she will let me stay a third night I will join her for that and then leave for Ribe the following day. If not, I may stay for the festival anyway and try to find a hostel for the night. I’m sure it will all work out. J

I was told today that I need to stray from my daily consumption of bread and apples for lunch and dinner and need to dine on some actual food native to the area. Well, I thought I would be giving that a try when I came in to get a beer and stay dry out of the rain. Let me tell you, this beer is nothing special. I essentially feel as though I paid $5 for a can of PBR, although they did serve it in a nice fancy glass and it was cold. I am thankful for a comfortable place to sit and write though, so I guess I wont complain. I just will not be purchasing beer in Denmark again – unless someone can assure me it’s different from what I am consuming now. I have a feeling that Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary will be way more satisfying in this area.

I am hopeful that my couch surfing host will be pleasant and give me some good insight into Danish culture. I’m excited to try out this whole couch surfing concept. I can see it going well or going badly. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see and let you know once it’s all said and done. Hopefully I’m not “taken” as my parents would say. And on that note, I am off to go meet her. I will post an update when I know more J

Heading Out

This is just a quick update to let you know that I am on the move today. I'm trying to catch the 8:30 train up to Hillerod where I will meet up with a girl named Alice. I will be couchsurfing with her for one (or two) nights. I may not have internet access while I am there, so please do not worry if there is no update tonight or tomorrow morning! (Mom and Eddie I will try to give you a call tonight - your morning - and let you know I'm safe).

Well, here goes my first transportation adventure!

A Change of Plans

This morning I discovered that I had made a hostel reservation for Monday night at a hostel in Mons Belgium, not Mon Denmark, like I had thought. Oops! Fortunately I can cancel my Belgium reservation and I only lose my 0.88 euro deposit and don't have to pay the rest of the fee. Sadly though, there is not a room at the Mon hostel in Denmark so I will not be venturing to that town as planned. :( It's probably for the best though since the train and bus ticket there would be quite expensive for the short one night stay that I had planned. I looked up some pictures of the cliffs online and decided that that would suffice for now.

I've started doing a little re-arranging with my schedule and am waiting to hear back from one of the girls I will be staying with (couch surfing) tomorrow night to see if I can stay an additional night with her. If not, I'll try to get into a hostel up there. Oherwise I'll come back to Copenhagen and stay another night here. It'll all work out, just perhaps a little last minute (don't freak out Eddie, I'll be alright). :) I also think I'm going to re-arrange some of my German itinerary. My cousin let me know about a few friends she has there that I might be able to stay with. I'm all about a free bed/couch for the night, even if it means I need to get up a little earlier in the morning to get where I need to be in town. If it saves me $20, I'm there! :) I'll let you know how things progress.

I spent most of my day inside planning and prepping for the next few weeks. I did make an attempt to get in touch with a friend who is living in the Netherlands who happens to be in Copenhagen for the day. Unfortunately I couldn't get the number to go through, so we didn't get in touch. So sad. :( I did venture out into the city some. I mailed some post cards (expensive - $9 for 5 cards) and walked down to the waterfront a bit. I finally found a fruit stand that wasn't too ridiculously expensive and splurged and bought myself some blueberries to go with my lunch. They were 20 Danish Krones (about $4) for a little basket, but much better than the usual 30-40dkk that I've see advertised ($6-$8). I also found a jewelry store that was going out of business and found a charm for 70% off!

In case you were unaware, I collect charms from different places that I travel to and put them on my charm bracelet. I have other charms on the bracelet as well from significant events in my life, but the majority of them are from places I have traveled. The bracelet is really full. I think I might need to start another one and put charms from places on just one and significant events on the other. I'll have to evaluate once I get home and see how much room is left.

Anyway though, I had been looking for a charm of the little mermaid (I always try to find something that goes with the place I've visited - i.e. a wedge of cheese for Tillamook, OR or a gondola for Venice, Italy, etc). I had found a few mermaids but they were upwards of $40 and I didn't want to pay that much. I just stumbled across this jewelry store and discovered that they were having a huge sale! I figured they wouldn't have any charms left as the store looked rather empty, but I found the little case where they were stored and lo and behold there were a few left!

They didn't have any mermaids, but they did have the marble church, which was great because it's way less touristy than the mermaid and I have discovered that I'm not a fan of the touristy. Anyway, the charm was normally 285dkk ($54), but on sale for 85kr ($16)! I bought it and now just need to pack it up in my bag somewhere safe. I'm going to have quite the collection when I come home!

I am starting to hit my afternoon lull as I'm calling it. The last two days I have been really tired between 5pm and 7pm. Thursday I took an hour, hour and a half nap, and yesterday I went to bed early at 7:30pm. Obviously I am the cool one in the hostel. :) My goal tonight is to make it until 9 before I have to turn in. I need to pack up my bag a bit better tonight before bed so that my departure in the morning is easy.

I leave for Hillerod fist thing. I have to wait to buy my ticket in the morning and the office doesn't open until 8am, so I'll at least be able to eat breakfast here before I begin my adventure for the day. The S-tog (subway like train) takes about 45 minutes, I believe, and will take me really close to the castle I plan to visit. After I finish touring the castle I am hoping to make it to an English service at a church in town. Then at 3 the girl I am staying with (couchsurfing) is going to pick me up at the castle and show me around a bit. I will stay with her for the night (possibly two nights) and then head to Aarhus to stay with my next couchsurfing location. I'm hopeful for this whole couchsurfing thing. I haven't done it yet, but think it could be a great way to meet some new people!

I have found that it is not as easy to meet people in the hostels as everyone says, although maybe it's just me. I have always said that I'm not the most outgoing person in the world. I am more than happy and eager to talk to people, but I have a really hard time initiating conversation. I smile and wave and acknowledge people, but I don't get much more back from anyone. I did chat with a guy here in the hostel for a bit today, but he initiated it. I'm pretty content on my own though, so it's fine with me if I don't become best friends with the other hostellers. I am however looking forward to some conversation with the couchsurfing community. Should be fun. :)

Anyway, that's the update here (it's a long one, sorry)! I have posted more pictures on facebook, again the link is http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2063092&id=42900023&l=3d269a82bc or you can just click here.

Late Start

I woke up in a panic this morning because my alarm didn’t go off. Or maybe it did and I turned it off and just don’t remember. Hmm … I had it set for 6am but at 6:30 I woke up (due to some noise in the room) and looked at my watch. Yikes! Time to get up! At least I was a little more familiar with my settings this morning so it hasn’t taken me quite as long to get ready. I’m now eating breakfast and am thoroughly enjoying my yogurt.

My new room is a little more exciting than my old one. I went to bed around 10, but there was a lot of noise surrounding the room until probably 11. Then at midnight a large group of people came into the room and made a bit of noise – I tried to sleep through it. Then at 3 another group of people showed up and were talking with each other as they got ready for bed. I’m sure they were somewhat inebriated and probably didn’t realize how loud they were. The person who was sleeping on the top bunk of my bunk bed set felt the need to shake the bed violently for awhile. Joy. Finally I fell back asleep but woke up intermittently for awhile. I have a feeling I will not be sleeping through the night completely until I return home in December.

I was a little homesick last night. It hit me yesterday that I am on day two of a 120-something day trip. That’s a long time to be away from the people I love and everything familiar that I know! Please don’t misunderstand either. I am enjoying myself and it’s not that I don’t want to be here. I just wish there was some way I could be here and at home at the same time. I just keep reminding myself how amazing this adventure is and that when I look back on it years later I will be so excited about all the memories. I’m doing something that others only dream of doing. I can’t lose sight of that.

Today’s plan is to visit the last of the museums I wanted to see. Then I thought about heading over to Christianshavn. It’s an isolated community that has set-up their own society basically within Denmark. It’s a little hippie area where it sounds like just about anything goes. To be honest, it intimidates me a little, but I think I should go. It’ll be an adventure within my adventure for sure!

I plan to post more pictures today as well, so be sure to check facebook in the morning. Goodnight over there!

Touristing It Up

I was a tourist today, so much so that I have two blisters on my right foot. :( Boo! Hopefully they feel better tomorrow, but we'll see.

After my gigantic breakfast I talked with Eddie on skype and about 9am headed out of the day. I have decided to walk as much as possible and not use public transportation, unless I really need to. I think this will help me to save money, but also get the exercise that I have been lacking the last few months due mostly to my laziness and excuses. I walked several blocks up to the Marble Church only to discover that it did not open for another half hour. I quickly glanced at my notes and discovered that just about everything opens at 10. Well, there's a tip for the future, check museum times before arriving. Oh well, no harm done really.

Since I couldn't start my museum adventures for the day, I continued my walk further north to the statue of the Little Mermaid - the famous statue that I had no idea about until I started reseraching Copenhagen. :) I there discovered that every other tourist in the city was visiting her and trying to take a picture as well. I took a few snapshots and moved on - not that exciting if you ask me. The cruise ships were also in town today, so there was a lot of activity. I kept seeing the same people at the different places I went, I guess they had a similar itenerary to mine. One couple in particular was annoying me. They were taking immature pictures with statues and in one of the churches they moved some of the hymn numbers on the wall. Neither thing were completely terrible, but it just made me ask, "really?" on the inside. Why do people do things like that? Maybe I'm old or something, but I don't get it. At least they were not Americans, so they couldn't give "us" a bad name.

After saying hi to Ariel, I went to the Museum of Danish Resistance to learn about Denmark's part in World War II. It was really interesting. I haven't ever seen Nazi artifacts in real life so it was kind of eerie to see them. After the museum I had an hour to kill before I needed to be back at the Marble Church to climb to the top of the dome so I wandered around and quickly found myself at the palace across the street from the church. There was a large group gathered around and I wasn't sure what was going on until I realized it was almost noon - the changing of the guard must be about to happen. I pulled out my camera and snaped a few shots. The crowd however was more entertaining than the actual cermony we watched. People were literally running from one place to the next tryiing to get a front row spot to take a picture of the men in poofy hats - so silly!

I climbed to the top of the dome, which was really fun. I took some panoramic pictures of the city and enjoyed the breeze! It was a beautiful day in Copenhagen. I think I might have even gotten a little sun while I was out there. The funny part about the dome was that when we were coming back down to leave one of the doors had been shut and we couldn't get it open for a few minutes. Some people started to panic a little, but of course I played it cool. There was no way we'd get stuck in there for too long - we could just start yelling from the top down to people below if we had to! Fortunately someone figured it out fairly quickly and we were only trapped for maybe only 5 minutes.

After the dome I wandered around a bit and visited another church. I went to the grocery store to buy some food for lunch and dinner. I bought a bag of baby apples for 15kr, pita bread for 8kr, and some lunch meat for 5kr. All in all I spent about $5.50 for lunch and I had meat, pita, and apples left over. I ended up eating the rest of the meat for dinner as well as a pita, but I still have some left over for lunch/dinner tomorrow! I was so proud of myself for navigating the store and spending my money wisely - instead of eating at a restaurant for $15 or even a cafe for $8. The cheapest thing I've seen advertised for food is chinese food for $7.

I ate my little lunch on a park bench in a fairly busy part of town. There was another tourist sitting on the other end of the bench reading her book about Copenhagen when a guy sat down next to her to eat his lunch and began talking with her. As I listened to their conversation I had to laugh to myself - my parents would be so proud of me. This guy asked the girl if she was traveling alone (which she said yes), where she was from (Berlin), and many other questions about herself (which she answered). He ended up inviting her to a party at one of his friend's places tomorrow night and all I could think was, "don't go, you'll get Taken!" If you've seen the movie Taken you'll understand - my parents made me watch it before I left.

I called my mother and gave her an update. I guess I talked to her too long though as my phone cut out from running out of minutes. I guess that means I need to buy another calling card. Hmm ... I made my way to another museum that was supposed to have Queen Nephertiti's bust in it, but I'm pretty sure it was a replica or just a random Egyptian bust. Oh well. I only paid 20kr ($4) to get in, but I got the money back when I went to lock my bag in a locker and discovered that the person before me had forgotten to take their 20kr when they left! Score, free museum entry for Ann. I did stumble across a painting by Raphael of Madonna and Child. So cool!

I left the museum around 4:30 and didn't have time to make it to another before it closed at 5, so I wound my way back to the hostel where I discovered that my room was locked. Not good. I talked to the guy at the reception desk and he informed me that I had to change rooms. It would have been nice of them to let me know before they moved me. I had left a few items on my bed and they had collected them for me and placed them in a bag and left them in an alcove in the hallway. Nice. The front desk clerk informed me of my new room number and directed me to it.

Before I made my way to the new room I jumped online to update a few things and chatted with Shera and Eddie via IM. Eddie and I attempted skype again but the internet kept cutting out here, so I gave up. I was tired anyway and he had to get ready for his day. I found my new room and said a thank you prayer that the only available bed was not a super tall bunk bed (I hate climbing up into them). I decided to take a little nap since I was exhausted. Well, I'm not sure exactly how long I slept, but it was probably at least an hour! I guess I needed it! I hope I'll be able to sleep tonight, but somehow I don't think that'll be a problem. It's now almost 9pm and I think I'm going to try and be in bed by 10.

So, that was my day! I realize this was a rather long post - hopefully you weren't too bored reading it. I have started posting pictures on facebook. If you don't have a facebook account you can view them here. Well, that's it for now! I'm sure I'll have something to share in the morning!

A Quick Update

Before I head out of the day I thought I’d send a quick update and let you all know that I slept well and made it through the night safe and sound, not that I was worried. Nothing has been lost or stolen thankfully and my homemade little sleep sack is quite warm – that I was a little worried about. I went to bed a little after 11pm and woke up at 2:30, 4, 4:30, 5:30, and finally got up at 6. I did sleep well, but it was intermittent. Hopefully tonight I’m a little more of a sound sleeper. Although it would be nice to continue to wake up early so that I can be the first person in the shower and have a little privacy.

By the time I got myself showered, dressed, and my bags situated for the day it was 7am and time for my included breakfast! I am now sitting here enjoying the Danish spread before me. Fruit, cheeses, veggies, even a meatloaf thing with bacon bits. Yum. The yogurt here is amazing. I remember thinking that the last time I was in Europe. There is just no comparison in the states. It’s just fresh and thin and thick at the same time. I love it. I’m on my second bowl mixed with some fruity granola. There is also fresh bread which, if you know me you’ll know, is one of my most favorite things. Oh, and there is fresh orange juice. J

I am stocking up and eating a big breakfast so that I can put lunch off as long as possible and hopefully not have to spend as much money. I know it’s cheap of me and I probably look like the gluttonous America, but I don’t care that much. If it’ll save me $5-$10/day, I’m ok with it. I also know that not every place I stay at will have an included breakfast, so I’m enjoying it while I can.

Today I’m off to explore the northern end of town. I’ll see the famous Little Mermaid statue and visit a few museums. I am going to try and make it one of the towers here and climb to the top to take a picture of the city from above. I’m going to try and do that in as many cities as I can and maybe develop a little collection of rooftop views. Should be a fun day.

Reuinited

They found my bag and delivered it! Yea! When I left the hostel this afternoon (at 5pm) I mentioned to the desk clerk that it might be coming. He seemed to already know what I was talking about and said that the airport had called to say they'd drop it off between 5 and 9. Well, they were true to their word. I returned to the hostel at 8:45 and there it was waiting for me! I haven't gone through it yet to make sure everything is there, but I’m not really worried. It feels just as heavy as when I left it in there care back in Seattle.

Now, let me tell you about my adventure around town and what I've learned today. :)

I decided to make my way to the Statens Museum for Kunst (or the Fine Arts/Modern Art Museum). Most of the museums close at 5 but on Wednesdays this one is open until 8 and it's free admission. I'm a fan of free. I enjoyed the museum. I thought some of the art was really fun and I always enjoy stumbling across pieces that I've studied or seen before but wasn't expecting to run into. For example, I saw some Picasso works, a Matisse self-portrait, and the famous Martin Luther portrait, among other things.

I enjoyed one of the special collections in particular; it was called Bees and Butterflies and was an exhibit all about love geared towards kids age 6-12. There was another artist that had a special collection displayed that was rather dark. I liked a few of his pieces, but some of them just creeped me out. I'm sorry to all of you artists out there who "get" the blatant sexual imagery in art, but I don't. I mean, yes I think the naked body can be artistically depicted, but sometimes I think it goes too far. The blatant phallic symbolism in this art that was displayed just disturbed me a little. I don't really get it, but whatever. It's probably my American modesty. ;)

The museum staff was very friendly with me. I had to check my bag because you're not allowed to bring it into parts of the museum but I didn't have any Danish currency yet, so they lent me a 10 kroner in exchange for my ID as collateral (not my passport, don't worry). Then when I got my stuff out of the locker I got the 10 kroner back and got my ID back. So very nice. The security guard was very patient with me since I don't know Danish and his English seemed limited.

When I left the museum I decided to just take some time to explore the area. I walked through King's Park and took some pictures of a castle/museum there as well as a cool statue and tree. Yes, I am a tourist. I found my way to the Stroget. The Stroget is a "famous" pedestrian only walkway with shops and tourist spots and food, etc. I strolled around for a bit looking for something to eat that wasn't ridiculously expensive. I finally found a 7-11 and got some yogurt and granola for the equivalent of $2. I found another store to get a sim card for my cell phone so that I can make calls to coordinate future hostel reservations and get train tickets, etc. I can also call home. :) On my way back to the hostel I found a grocery store and some somewhat reasonably priced food. I got an apple and an orange for $1 and felt much better.

I am learning that Denmark is just as expensive as everyone says it is. It's crazy! The vending machine is $3 for a pop and a candy bar is $2! I know small stores and vending machines are usually more expensive, but not that much more! I will definitely be returning to the grocery store and buying most of my food there in order to save as much money as possible! I do get breakfast at the hostel though, so I'll be sure to eat lots in the morning so that I can eat less in the evening and hopefully spend less money.

Another thing I have discovered about Copenhagen is that there are bikes everywhere! It's crazy how many bikes there are. I can't walk down the street without seeing a swarm of them coming at me or several parked on the side of the street. People of all ages, shapes, sizes, professions, male, and female ride these bikes - and they ride them fast without helmets. If you think Portland or Seattle is becoming too full of bikes, you haven't seen anything!

The last thing I'll comment on before I head to bed for the evening is how funny I think it is that everyone keeps talking to me in Danish. I'm sure it's just assumed that everyone speaks Danish until spoken to, but it makes me feel like I don't look or act like a tourist - even though I probably stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe my Danish genes are more visible than I realized or maybe the Danes are just very friendly people. I don't know, but either way, I've had a good experience so far and hope that it continues. :)

Well that's it for now folks. I'm sure I'll have a bit to write tomorrow, especially after my first night in a hostel. There are a bunch of Jr. High kids staying here and several of the boys have yet to discover deodorant. It's lovely.

I still don't have time to write down my whole itinerary, but here is the plan for the next week or so:

Aug 26 (today): Arrive in Copenhagen, stay in Copenhagen

August 27-29: Copenhagen

August 29: Leave Copenhagen early morning and go to Hillerod, stay the night

August 30: Early morning take the train to Mon and stay overnight

September 1: Early morning take the train to Arthus and stay

September 2: Arthus in the day, evening train to Aalborg

September 3: Aalborg in the day, evening train to Ribe

September 4: Ribe during the day, evening bus to Hamburg, Germany

September 5: Hamburg

September 6: Hamburg during the day, evening train to Berlin